He suggested Nagasaki enhance cooperation with Vietnamese localities, especially in the areas of Japan's strength like automobile manufacturing and ship building.

For his part, Governor Nakamura said that since 2015, the Japanese prefecture has sent nearly 100 business delegations to Vietnam. On the other hand, a large number of them travelled for cultural festivals, especially in Hoi An with a view to seeking cooperative opportunities.

Last year, the Japanese prefecture invited 300 Vietnamese students from HCM City to join home-stay programme.

Nagasaki has already formed close relations with Quang Nam and intended to invite the local authorities to the Japanese prefecture in 2017.

The Governor took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese side for its selection of Nagasaki as a training centre for Vietnamese athletes in preparation for the Olympic Games 2020.

Also on April 20, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc gave a reception for Managing Director of the RoK’s Hyundai Motor in charge of commercial vehicles S.K. Han, during which the PM highly valued Hyundai’s cooperation with Vietnam’s Truong Hai Automobile Corporation (Thaco) to produce trucks and buses in Quang Nam as well as Hyundai’s goal to raise the localisation rate in vehicle production in Vietnam.